Any possible way to create a timer to C++ program?

I was going to make a game with C++, and I want´d a timer to it.
Is there any way to create a timer? (Like 2 functions, which start and stop the timer.) Oh, and it would be better, if the timer would be only in seconds, no minutes or hours counted. (Once you reach 60 seconds, it doesn´t say you have 00:01:00 of time, so I can use it with the if, else and switch "things". (Dunno the right word.)